Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani nation in southeast Europe was formed as a result of the invasion of Turkic-speaking [Page 99]nomadic tribes into the South Caucasus in the 11th century, followed by a complex process of consolidation of Turkic and local Iranian groups.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan became an independent republic. Azerbaijan was secularized during the Soviet era. This feature of the Soviet Azerbaijan has been formally endorsed in the constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan; however, a slight trend of religious revival in Azerbaijan has emerged since the country's independence.

According to the official statistics, 97% of Azerbaijan's population is Muslim. Russian Orthodox Christians (also Armenian Orthodox before the breakup of the Soviet Union) and Jews are the largest religious minority groups; also, small congregations of Roman Catholics, Protestant denominations, Seventh-Day Adventists, Molokans (Russian Orthodox Old Believers), and Baha'is have been present in Azerbaijan for more than a century. New religious groups have emerged in the country during the past 15 years, including Wahhabi Muslims, Pentecostal and evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Hare Krishnas.

According to the State Committee on Work With Religious Associations of Azerbaijan, the Muslim denomination ratio is 65% Shi'a and 35% Sunnī. However, religious observance among the followers of both denominations is not high, with intergroup differences weakly defined. Also, Muslim identity is based more on ethnicity and culture than on religion. A Gallup poll on Religion in the World conducted in 2009 demonstrated that only 14% of the Azerbaijani respondents pray every day, 30% admit that they do so “less often,” and 25% of the Azeri's say that they never bow in the direction of Mecca (Makkah). The depth of Azerbaijan's secularity has both Soviet and preSoviet history. The country's own version of Islam, one that has been heavily influenced by Sufi mystics over the centuries, has contributed to the undogmatic interpretation of religious decrees that is characteristic of secular nations such as Azerbaijan.

According to the provisions of the constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, persons of all faiths may choose and practice their religion without restriction by joining or establishing the religious group of their choice. The Law on Religious Freedom prohibits the government from interfering in the religious activities of any individual or group. The law, however, allows the state to interfere if the activities of a religious group threaten public order and stability and prohibits foreigners from proselytizing. The law also requires all religious organizations, including congregations of denominations, to pass through a seven-step application process in order to be registered by the government registration. Unregistered organizations are not considered legal entities and are vulnerable to attacks and closures by the authorities. Some human right groups characterize similar requirements as restrictive and enable the government to regulate the religious realm.